Read, Listen, & Watch​

Immerse yourself in sustainable media

August

Biggest Little Farm

In 2011 John and Molly Chester left their jobs in Los Angeles to start Apricot Lanes farms in 2011. Follow their journey to create a farm with a well-balanced eco-system while treating the environment and animals with respect.

Eating Animals

Author: Jonathan Safran Foer
Part memoir and part investigative report, Eating Animals is the groundbreaking moral examination of vegetarianism, farming, and the food we eat every day that inspired the documentary of the same name.

Rust Belt Arcana

Authors: Matt Stansberry & David Wilson
By juxtaposing the characteristics of the cards of the Tarot’s Major Arcana to the creatures and plants around us, Stansberry and Wilson weave tales of resilience in the industrial Midwest.

The End of Nature

Author: Bill McKibben
A classic read in environmental literature, McKibben’s impassioned plea for radical change still resonates today. Proposing that the survival of the globe is dependent on a philosophical shift in human nature is more relevant today than ever.

Silent Spring

Author: Rachel Carson
Marine biologist and conservationist Rachel Carson captured the attention of the world in the late 1950s with her research on synthetic pesticides. The result of which was Silent Spring, which eventually spurred a nationwide ban on DDT for agricultural uses.

Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore

Author: Elizabeth Rush
Sea level rise is one of the hallmarks of climate change and has already changed the coastline of the United States in remarkable ways. Weaving testimonials with wildlife profiles, Rising reminds us that climate change is neither distant nor imagined.

This Changes Everything

Author: Naomi Klein
This Changes Everything is a call to action against disillusionment. Through an economic lens, this novel analyses the profit and growth associated with free markets and connects them to environmental degradation.

The Everglades: River of Grass

Author: Marjory Stoneman Douglas
First published in 1947, Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ emphatic descriptions of the Everglades are what brought global attention to one of Florida’s most cherished natural areas.

Desert Solitaire

Author: Edward Abbey
With sharp language and a powerful perspective, Abbey scrutinizes the urbanization of America’s landscapes. Desert Solitaire manages to balance frustration with appreciation, as much as a call to action as it is an ode to the magnificent vastness of canyon land.

Last Chance to See

Authors: Douglas Adams & Mark Carwardine
Both hilarious and profound, as only Douglas Adams can be, Last Chance to See takes readers on a journey through the animal kingdom, bringing them not only face to face with the natural world, but it’s imminent peril.

Movies & Documentaries

Cowspiracy

Released in 2014, this documentary reveals the impact of animal agriculture on the environment. Focusing on deforestation, water consumption, and greenhouse gases, the film displays the consequences of animal agriculture, and the corporate attempts to mask these truths.

An Inconvenient Sequel

Ten years after An Inconvenient Truth brought climate change into the forefront of mainstream culture, this compelling follow-up shows that while the stakes have never been higher, the solutions to the climate crisis are still within our reach.

To the Ends of the Earth

Get a glimpse of the lives of concerned citizens living at the frontiers of extreme oil and gas extraction, from the mayor of an Inuit village in Canada’s high arctic, to a river conservationist on the shores of the Colorado River.

An Inconvenient Truth

Perhaps one of the most influential films of the 21st century, An Inconvenient Truth follows former vice president Al Gore on his quest to alert the public to the concerns of climate change. Using slideshows, and real-life footage, this film illustrates a powerful message.

Rising Tides

Rising Tides explores the reality of climate change and rising seas, and the effects it will have on coastal communities through interviews with scientists, nonprofits, homeowners, government officials, and other groups offering potentail solutions.

How to Let Go of the World and Love All The Things Climate Can’t Change

Before the Flood

This climate change documentary follows Leonardo DiCaprio on a tumultuous journey around the world. Deeply ambitious and undeniably sincere, Before the Flood focused on the current threats facing the planet, as well as actions individuals can take to reduce their impact.

Our Planet

A challenging, and sometimes disheartening series, Our Planet examines the beauty of our world, but also how deeply climate change impacts all living creatures. Some scenes are notably graphic, and viewer discretion is advised.

Gasland

Gasland follows filmmaker Josh Fox through a series of interviews in communities being affected by natural gas drilling. By drawing connections between drilling, water contamination, air pollution, and chronic health problems, Fox exposes a dark side of “fracking”.

The True Cost

The True Cost invites viewers into the lives of the people and places behind our clothes, pulling back the curtain on the untold story of production, and asking us: who really pays the price for our clothing?

Wall-E

Pixar’s hit animated feature Wall-e follows an exceptionally curious robot responsible for compacting trash on an Earth that humans have left uninhabitable in a dystopian future. At its core, Wall-e is a call to action that can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.

Biggest Little Farm

In 2011 John and Molly Chester left their jobs in Los Angeles to start Apricot Lanes farms in 2011. Follow their journey to create a farm with a well-balanced eco-system while treating the environment and animals with respect.

Costing the Earth

A program on BBC Radio 4 looking at man's effect on the environment, questioning accepted truths, and reporting on progress towards improving the world.
Recommended Episodes:
- "Soil Saviors"
- "Cruising: A Dirty Secret"

Earwolf

An American comedy podcasting network founded by Scott Aukerman and Jeff Ullrich in August 2010.
Recommended Episodes:
- "Who is Enforcing the Clean Water Act?" With Bobby Kennedy Jr.
- "What’s Really Going on with Recycling Hunny?" With Beth Porter
- "What’s The Cutest Way to Fight Climate Change?" With Anasasia Khoo

Stuff You Should Know

An award-winning podcast and video series published by Stuff Media and hosted by Josh Clark and Charles W..
Recommended Episodes:
- "How Global Warming Works"
- "Why Are Whale Strandings Still a Mystery?"

Energy Gang

A weekly digest on energy, clean tech and the environment produced by Green tech Media. They delve into the technological, political and market forces driving energy and environmental issues.
Recommended Episodes:
- "From the Vault: Elon Musk and the Grid Fan Fiction"
- "What's Changed Most in Energy Over the Last Four Years?"

Radiolab

Radiolab is a radio program produced by WNYC, a public radio station in New York City, that investigates this strange world.
Recommended Episodes:
- "From Tree to Shining Tree"

Ted Talks Daily

Hear thought-provoking ideas on every subject imaginable - from AI to Zoology - given by the world's leading thinkers and doers.
Recommended Episodes:
- "The biggest risks facing cities - and some solutions" with Robert Muggah
- "Why wildfires have gotten worse - and what we can do about it" with Paul Hessburg

*These suggestions are cultivated from recommendations by Sustainability Initiatives employees as well as students, faculty, and staff like you. The university does not officially endorse or benefit from works included in the Read, Listen and Watch lists.